Oakham is preparing to welcome His Royal Highness The Duke of Gloucester for an official royal visit next month.

His Royal Highness, a grandson of George V and a first cousin to The Queen, will travel to Rutland on 20 November and visit a number of organisations across the county with Lord-Lieutenant Dr Sarah Furness.

The tour will include a visit to Rutland County Showground to meet representatives of Oakham Rugby Club.

His Royal Highness will hear about the club's work with the local community before speaking to volunteers from Rutland's First Responders. The First Responders are trained in the use of defibrillators and can administer a range of potentially life-saving treatments when called upon.

The royal visit will also include a trip to The King Centre in Barleythorpe. The site of a former sixth form college, the centre is home to some of Rutland's most innovative local businesses and generates more than £14m for the local economy – accounting for two percent of all goods and services in the county.

While at The King Centre, His Royal Highness will meet with the leader of Rutland County Council, Coun Oliver Hemsley, along with a number of local business owners based there.

The Duke will then travel to Oakham Castle to view a ceremonial horse shoe that was hung to commemorate his first royal visit to Rutland in 1977 – a tradition observed by royalty and nobility dating right back to the 15th century.

Finally, His Royal Highness will be the guest of honour at a special ceremony at Rutland County Museum where he will unveil a new and previously unseen historical artefact to mark the culmination of the museum's 50th Anniversary Celebrations.

Dr Furness said: "This is a great honour for Rutland and we are very much looking forward to welcoming His Royal Highness The Duke of Gloucester.

"Rutland may be the smallest county but it is packed with so many wonderful people, organisations, places and things.

"We hope the visit will highlight the very best of Rutland – its wonderful sense of community, its thriving local businesses and its rich history and traditions."

Coun Hemsley said: "We are incredibly proud to welcome His Royal Highness The Duke of Gloucester to Rutland.

"The Duke is associated with more than 150 charities and organisations and will no doubt be keen to speak to local volunteers who give up so much of their time to support our community and have saved lives when needed.

"I know The Duke is also passionate about architecture and conservation, so it is fitting that we will have an opportunity to show him the extensive restoration work that has taken place at Oakham Castle in recent years, as well as unveiling the very latest piece of Rutland's history to be preserved for future generations at our county museum."